Cruise ship dining guide:
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The entrance to Chic on Quantum of the Seas.
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Specialty restaurants
In addition to the complimentary restaurants, Quantum offers guests as array of specialty restaurants. There is an additional charge to dine at these venues. “The specialty restaurants are still our icon restaurants. They are still very popular. For Quantum of the Seas, we did even better [than on prior ships].” “We partnered with Jamie Oliver - - extremely successful. We have Jamie's Italian onboard - - it's classic, home-style, Italian food. Very simple, fresh and well-executed.” (See our review). “Then we have our Devinly Decadence. We partnered with NBC celebrity chef Devin Alexander.” This restaurant offers healthy alternatives that are low in calories but not in flavor. (See our review). Another new specialty restaurant is Wonderland. “It is literally a trip down to Wonderland. It involves five elements - - fire, water, ice, wind and earth. You just sit down and you go through an experience. From the painting oif the menu - - you cannot see it unless you paint it - - to the lighting, to the music, to the flatware, the China. We use molecular cuisine. Its a special moment. When you come out, you still wonder: 'was I just in Wonderland.” “It is a passion-driven restaurant by our corporate culinary chef and director of food and beverage operations, Neil Gallagher. He put a lot of passion into it. We've received trendous applause for this one. I have yet to see one negative comment about the restaurant. We are almost fully booked, we have to turn guests away certain nights.” Quantum also has versions of some of the popular specialty restaurants found on other Royal Caribbean ships including the Chops Grill steakhouse and the Asian-inspired venue Izumi. It also offers the Chef's Table experience, a multi-course feast with wine pairings. “We have made it even more exclusive. We are doing it inside Chops but it is in an exclusive room.” |
Casual venues
Turning to casual dining, the Windjammer, the ship's buffet restaurant has been enhanced beyond those of previous ships. “We have done a lot of new things to the Windjammer. We hit it out of the park [with] the bakery in the front where we have at least 40 types of different breads every day. And we bake fresh cookies all day long. We have set up a special oven and we constantly bake fresh warm cookies. That is a hit. Every guest is saying: 'Wow, my cookie is warm.” “We [also] added a lot of live cooking stations - - kebobs, panini stations, fresh pasta, fresh grill, omlette stations, crepes stations. Instead of our chefs cooking in the back, we wanted the guests to actually see what our chefs are doing. It is going very well and is very well-received.” Another very popular casual venue is Cafe@270. This is a new venue debuting on Quantum. Guests pick up their food in the cafe and then go and sit in the 270 entertainment venue. “ We went simple, fast, fresh. It [offers[ the classic sandwiches that everybody loves. Fresh salads, simple yet satisfying. People love it, they look forward to that fresh panini and fresh tossed salad. It's what the guests wanted.” Johnny Rocket's has a new look on Quantum of the Seas. It is not housed in a separate mid-20th century diner as on most of the earlier Royal Caribbean ships but rather is a counter that opens out to the outdoor pool area. “ We wanted the guests to enjoy Johnny Rocket's throughout the pool area. We still have a seating area in the front. If you want to sit down, sit down. If you want to take it by the pool or anywhere else, it is all yours.” “On the Esplanade, we still have our classic Sorrentos. People like pizza. We [also] have the Cafe Promenade where we still serve our classic sandwiches, cookies, etc. It is a key area where you want to stop by and have a snack throughout the day. Cafe Proenade is now open 24 hours and Sorrentos is open until 3 o'clock in the morning.” “Across [on the other side of the Esplanade], we have our new concept. It is called La Patisserie. We feature Starbuck's coffee, different chocolates, macarones and cupcakes. It is where you see your classic Starbuck's lovers who go and sit down and open up the laptop for a quick browse through the internet.” |
Cruise ship dining review - - Quantum of the Seas - - Royal Caribbean - - Dining Guide - - page 2